Political protest has no place in football

They are right in standing up to Trump

The NFL players that have chosen to kneel during the national anthem are wrong, holds James Robbins of USA Today. Football has never been a place for politics, especially not when spreading such an unpatriotic theme. In the past, players have been told not to wear anything with a political message, even in commemoration of 9/11. Footballers may have free speech, but that doesn’t extend to the field, where they are representatives of the NFL. Their actions sully its name by bringing dishonor to the flag and anthem. The NFL should clamp down on these players and ensure that fans can enjoy politics-free football again.

The players are entirely justified in kneeling, particularly after President Trump tried to bully them into doing as he said, argues David French of National Review. Conservatives have shown strong bias in condemning those who kneel after having fought tooth and nail for the freedom of speech for opinions that they agree with. All citizens should have the right to express their views. Protest has contributed in making the U.S. so special. But the president using his power to try to limit players’ opinions, only to try to get them fired once they didn’t comply, is deeply worrying. Trump has made their movement more valid by authoritatively trying to suppress it.